Which States Use the Caucus System?

By Dell Markey

Candidates or their surrogates are allowed to actively campaign at caucuses.

Thirteen U.S. states and two U.S. territories use the caucus system to determine which Republican and Democratic presidential candidates their delegates will support in the nomination process. Caucuses are open meetings of party members and leaders in which candidates or their representatives are offered the opportunity to speak before an open vote is taken.

Caucus States and Territories

The political parties set the dates and rules for their own caucus in caucus-sytsem states, Because of this, the Democratic and Republican caucuses in a given state may be on different dates. As of the 2012 election cycle, the states which use the caucus system include Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Idaho, Kansas, Wyoming, Alaska, Washington, Florida and North Dakota. U.S. territories American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands also use caucuses.